The invention relates to an electrically operated slicing machine for cutting slices from a product to be sliced, which is strand-shaped in particular and is preferably a foodstuff, comprising a cutting device, which includes a circular knife, which is mounted in a machine housing and rotates in a cutting plane, and comprising a substantially flat support plate having a support surface for placement of the carriage carrying the product to be sliced, wherein said carriage is guided parallel to the cutting plane via a carriage base along a slide rail rigidly connected to the machine housing, said carriage being displaceable parallel to the plane of the support plate, wherein the carriage base is supported via at least two support elements such that it is movable relative to the machine housing, and wherein the machine housing comprises a separating wall extending at least partially between the support plate and the carriage base, said separating wall partially enclosing, on the side thereof facing away from the support plate, a guide space in which the slide rail is disposed.
Such slicing machines are known from EP 0 823 314 A1, for example.
The product to be sliced, more particularly in automatically operated slicing machines for strand-shaped foodstuffs such as sausage, ham, salmon, cheese, etc., is moved against the cutting device with the aid of a feed device, usually in a direction perpendicular to the cutting plane in which usually one or more rotating circular knives rotate, in order to cut slices off of the conveyed product to be sliced. The cutting device is driven by an electric motor, which is fully enclosed by the machine housing as protection against splash water and contamination and as a mechanical safeguard against penetration from the outside.
In order to now separate the desired slice from the product to be sliced by way of the rotating knife, the product to be sliced, which is lying on the support surface of the support plate, is moved parallel to the cutting plane using a carriage and is fed toward the rotating knife blade until the rotating knife has cut completely through the product to be sliced and has cut the slice off of the product to be sliced. The support plate is usually rigidly connected to a carriage base, which extends downward from the support plate and is movably supported on a slide rail, which itself is rigidly connected to the machine housing.
Such a design is described in DE 200 20 065 U1, for example. In that case, the carriage base bears upwardly against the slide rail by way of an external carriage guide, wherein additional sliding surfaces for absorbing torques that occur are provided on the machine housing, on which said sliding surfaces the carriage base is situated in such a way that it slides from above.
Two-point support is provided in the slicing machine comprising an internal carriage guide, which is described in DF 201 18 836 U1, wherein the carriage guide is supported on a slide rail and, additionally, bears from above on a slide rail rigidly connected to the machine housing, via a roller.
Three-point support of the carriage base via a slide rail and via two roller-shaped support elements is depicted in the initially-mentioned document EP 0 823 314 A1. In this case, however, the carriage guide is disposed outside of the machine housing in an exposed manner and is therefore extremely susceptible to contamination and is not entirely suitable for use in such a hygienically sensitive manner such as in the food industry.